177^. ROUND THE WORLD. 129 



larger on the main, and larger isles, and, if ap- 

 pearances did not deceive us, we can assert it. 



If I except New Zealand, I, at this time, knew of 

 no island in the South Pacific Ocean, where a ship 

 could supply herself with a mast or a yard, were she 

 ever so much distressed for want of one. Thus far 

 the discovery is or may be valuable. My carpenter, 

 who was a mast-maker as well as a ship-wright, two 

 trades he learnt in Deptford yard, was of opinion 

 that these trees would make exceedingly good masts. 

 The wood is white, close-grained, tough, and light. 

 Turpentine had exuded out of most of the trees, and 

 the sun had inspissated it into a rosin, which was 

 found sticking to the trunks, and lying about the 

 roots. These trees shoot out their branches like 

 all other pines ; with this difference, that the branches 

 of these are much smaller and shorter; so that the 

 knots become nothing when the tree is wrought for 

 use. I took notice, that the largest of them had the 

 smallest and shortest branches, and were crowned, as 

 it were, at the top, by a spreading branch like a bush. 

 This was what led some on board into the extrava- 

 gant notion of their being basaltes : indeed, no one 

 could think of finding such trees here. — The seeds 

 are produced in cones ; but we could find none that 

 had any in them, or that were in a proper state for 

 vegetable or botanical examination. Besides these, 

 there was another tree or shrub of the spruce fir kind; 

 but it was very small. We also found on the isle a 

 sort of scurvy-grass, and a plant, called by us Lamb's 

 Quarters, which, when boiled, eat like spinnage. 



Having got ten or twelve small spars to make 

 studding sail booms, boats'-masts, &c, and night 

 approaching, we returned with them on board. 



The purpose for which I anchored under this isle 

 being answered, I was now to consider what was 

 next to be done. We had, from the topmast head, 

 taken a view of the sea around us, and observed the 

 whole, to the west, to be strewed with small islets, 



VOL. IV. K 



